53 



COCKCHAFER. 



COCOS. 



In these cuts will be seen an example of the ' Somnia Porten- 

 taque Thessala,' which have vanished before the light of science. 

 [BASILISK.] 



COCKCHAFER. [MELOLONTHID*.] 



COCKLES. [CARDIUM.] 



COCKROACH. The common name for the Blatta orientali. 

 [BLATTIDi.] 



COCKSCOMBS. [CELOSIA.] 



COCKSFOOT-GRASS. [DACTYLIS.] 



COCOA. [THEOBSOMA.] 



COCOA-NUT. [Cocos.] . 



COCOA-PLUM, the fruit of Chryaobalaniu /coco. [CHRYSOBA- 

 LANUS.] 



COCOON. [BOMBYCID* ; PUPA.] 



COCOS, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order of 

 Palms. It is thus defined by Von Martius : Both male and female 

 flowers on the same spadix. Spathe simple ; flowers sessile. Males : 

 calyx 3-leaved ; corolla of 3 petals ; stamens 6 ; a rudiment of a 

 pistil. Females : 3 sepals and 3 petals rolled together ; ovary 

 3-celled ; stigmas 3, sessile ; drupe fibrous ; putameu with three 



Cocoa-Nut Palm (Cocos mictjera). 



a, lower portion of the upatbe opened ; ft, branchlct, with female flowers 

 the main on the upper end dropped off; c, female flower; d, stamens; 

 *, female corolla ; /, male corolla ; g t gcrmen. 



pores at the base ; albumen homogeneous, hollow ; embryo next one 

 of the pores at the base ; stems either lofty or middle-sized, slender, 

 ringed, or crowned by the bases of the petioles, with a pale fibrous 

 wood ; leave* pinnated ; the pinna lanceolate or linear ; flowers pale 



yellow; drupes brown, green, or orange-uoloui 1 , rather dry. The 

 genus contains several species. 



Cocos nucifera, the common Cocoa-Nut Palm. This plant is found 

 all over the tropical parts of the world, especially in the vicinity of 

 the sea, growing within reach of salt-water, and establishing itself 

 upon reefs and sandbanks as soon as they emerge from the ocean. 

 Its principal range is said by Mr. Marshall to be between the equator 

 and the 25th parallel of latitude, and in the equinoctial zone to an 

 altitude of about 2900 feet. Its great importance to man has caused 

 it to be cultivated wherever the climate is favourable' to its growth ; 

 and accordingly it is sometimes found occupying extensive tracts to 

 the exclusion of all other trees : the whole Brazilian coast from the 

 river San Francisco to the bar of Mamanguape, a distance of 280 miles, 

 is, with few breaks, thus occupied ; and it was estimated that in the 

 year 1813 no fewer than 10,000,000 trees were growing on the south- 

 west coast of Ceylon. 



The Cocoa-Nut Palm rises like a slender column to from 60 to 90 

 feet in height ; its stem is of a soft fibrous nature, and is marked on 

 the outside by rings produced by the fall of its leaves ; two such 

 leaves are said to drop off annually, and consequently the age of an 

 individual is equal to half the number of the annular scars of its 

 stem. About a dozen or fifteen leaves, each from 12 to 14 feet long, 

 crown the summit of the stem ; and as these are not inaptly compared 

 to gig-antic ostrich-feathers, they give the plant the air of an enormous 

 tuft of vegetable plumes. A reticulated substance, resembling coarse 

 cloth, envelops the base of each leaf-stalk, but falls off before the leaf 

 is full grown. The flowers proceed from within a large pointed spathe, 

 which always opens on the under side. In wet seasons the tree 

 blossoms every five or six weeks, so that there are generally fresh 

 flowers and ripe nuts on the tree at the same time : there are com- 

 miinly from five to fifteen nuts in a bunch ; and in good soils a tree 

 may produce from eight to twelve bunches, or from 80 to 100 nuts 

 annually. 



In hot countries the uses to which the Cocoa-Nut Tree is applicable 

 are innumerable. The roots are chewed in place of the areca-nut ; 

 gutters, drums, and the posts of huts are formed from the trunk ; the 

 young buds are a delicate vegetable ; shade is furnished by the leaves 

 when growing, and after separation from the tree their large size and 

 hard texture render them invaluable as thatch for cottages ; they are 

 moreover manufactured into baskets, buckets, lanterns, articles of 

 head-dress, and even books, upon which writing is traced with an iron 

 stylus. Their ashes yield potash in abundance ; their midrib forms 

 oars ; and brushes are formed by bruising the end of a leaf with a 

 portion of the midrib adhering to it. 



The sap of the tree during the time of blossoming ascends in large 

 quantities : it is very sweet, and flows freely on the stem being punctured. 

 In Ceylon it is daily collected by a class of people known as ' toddy- 

 drawers,' who get up early to procure it for the use of the inhabitants. 

 If allowed to stand, this toddy ferments, and forms palm-wine, from 

 which an ardent spirit called arrack is distilled. By further distilla- 

 tion sugar is procured from this spirit, which is called * gagglieng 

 sugar." This sugar, mixed with lime, forms a powerful cement, which 

 resists moisture, endures great solnr heat, and will take a fine polish. 

 A farinaceous matter contained in the stem is a good substitute for 

 sago. The ripe fruit is a wholesome food, and the milk it contains is 

 a grateful cooling beverage ; indeed, these together form the principal 

 sustenance of the poor Indians in many countries. The nuts are 

 inclosed in an outer husk, which has three flat sides terminating at 

 the top in a blunt point. This peculiar form seems to be a special 

 provision for the dissemination of the species ; growing, as it docs, near 

 the shores of seas and rivers, its large seeds drop into the water, and 

 their shape pM-ticularly adapts them for sailing; one edge, being down- 

 wards, forms the keel, while the upper surface, being flat, is acted upon 

 by the wind, and so propelled along on the surface until it reaches 

 some coral reef or shore, where, when stranded, it vegetates and rises 

 to be a magnificent palm, affording food and shelter in abundance. 

 The shell of the Cocoa-Nut is inclosed in a fibrous husk, which has 

 now become a considerable article of commerce on account of the 

 strength and durability of the fibre. Its preparation is very simple, 

 consisting of little more than beating the husks to separate the fibres, 

 which are dry and but loosely held together, and afterwards drawing 

 them through a coarse comb or heckle, by which the refuse is cleaned 

 out ; it is then spun into yarns of different thickness, and is now 

 extensively manufactured in Europe into ropes and matting : it is also 

 used to stuff mattrasses and cushions. In India it is very generally 

 used as cordage for vessels, and for fishing-nets ; its lightness recom- 

 mends it especially for the latter purpose. Its durability is surprising ; 

 perhaps no other vegetable-fibre will resist so long the action of alter- 

 nate dryness and moisture. The hair-like fibre is made also into 

 scrubbing-brushes ; and the poorer classes in many places use the 

 entire husk for the same purpose. The imports of cocoa-nut yarn 

 and rope into England are greatly increasing : in the year ISM (as 

 nearly as can be ascertained) 10,661 tons were brought into Liver- 

 pool from Ceylon and Bombay. The oil of the Cocoa-Nut is valuable 

 as an export : it is used largely in Europe for burning, in the manu- 

 facture of torches, and in the composition of pharmaceutical prepara- 

 tions. Mixed with dammer (the resin of Shorea robusta), it forms the 

 substance used in India for paying the seams of boats and ships. 



